The rest of the day dragged on like a weight tied to Ice's ankles.
She had mastered the art of appearing calm. Her movements were precise, her voice steady, her gestures efficient. No one would have guessed that behind her professional mask, everything was still trembling.
But avoiding someone never works for long.
Late in the afternoon, as she stepped out of a patient's room, Teddy was there.
Leaning against the hallway wall.
Waiting for her.
The silence between them was heavy, almost suffocating. The hospital sounds—carts rolling, distant voices, ringing monitors—suddenly felt far away, as if the world had been muted.
"We need to talk," he finally said in a low voice.
Ice tightened her grip on the file she was holding.
"I have nothing to say to you, Doctor Blaise."
The distance in her tone was icy.
"I do. Please, just listen to me."
She looked up at him. That gaze… once reassuring. Now it only reopened the wound.
"Teddy, I asked you one thing yesterday. Don't call me. Don't look for me."
He ran a nervous hand through his hair.
"I can't pretend five years never happened."
"Five years?" she repeated softly.
"Five years based on what? Lies?"
He lowered his eyes for a second. Guilty.
"I never meant to hurt you."
A bitter laugh escaped her.
"You had a wife. Two children. And you didn't mean to hurt me?"
He stepped closer instinctively.
"Ice… what we had was real."
"Real?"
She shook her head.
"Real for who?"
Her heart was racing. She felt the anger rising… but also that dangerous weakness: habit. Attachment. Memories.
"Does she know about me?" she suddenly asked.
He remained silent.
That silence was an answer.
Ice inhaled deeply.
"There. That's all I needed to know."
She tried to walk past him, but he gently grabbed her wrist.
"I love you."
The words fell between them. Late. Fragile. Almost useless.
Ice closed her eyes for a second. She had waited years to hear those words.
But today… they fixed nothing.
She pulled her hand away.
"No.
You don't get to say those words to me, Teddy.
Those are words you should say to your wife. Not to me."
Her voice trembled.
"She doesn't deserve this."
A silence.
Then, more quietly:
"I should never have fallen in love with a married man… I feel so guilty… if only you knew."
She turned and walked away.
This time, she didn't cry.
She walked straight ahead, head held high, even if inside she was still bleeding.
On the Other Side of the City — Bern
Bern had been staring at his phone for several minutes.
He had resisted all morning.
All afternoon.
But his mind kept returning to her. To her troubled eyes. To the strength hidden behind her fragility.
He typed a message.
"Hey… would you like to grab a drink at that bar again?"
He deleted it.
Typed again.
"I don't even have her number…"
He sighed.
"Ridiculous," he muttered.
He finally placed his phone face down on the table.
If she wanted it to be just a moment… then it would just be a moment.
But for the first time in a long while, Bern wasn't sure he wanted it to be that simple.
Evening — Ice
Ice left the hospital at nightfall.
She inhaled the cool air deeply. Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Her heart jumped.
Teddy?
She pulled it out.
Unknown number.
Her breath caught.
She hesitated… then answered.
"Hello?"
Silence.
Then a woman's voice. Soft. Composed.
"Ice… this is Lora."
The world seemed to stop.
Ice felt her heart pounding so loudly she thought Lora could hear it through the phone.
"…Lora?" she managed to whisper.
"Yes. I… I hope I'm not disturbing you."
Her voice was gentle. Calm. Too calm.
Ice leaned against the parking lot wall, her legs suddenly weak.
"How… how did you get my number?"
A slight pause.
"Teddy often leaves his phone lying around."
The answer dropped like a stone into water.
Ice closed her eyes.
"I see…"
A soft breath came through the receiver.
"I wanted to talk to you. Just… a few minutes."
Ice felt her stomach tighten.
"Would you be willing to have coffee with me tomorrow? It's quite urgent."
Her heart skipped a beat.
Coffee.
Face to face.
With the wife of the man she had loved for five years.
Everything inside her wanted to hang up. To run again. To disappear. But this woman… this woman she had hurt without meaning to… deserved at least to be heard.
"Of course… why not."
A pause, then:
"I'm really glad. I had a feeling you were a good person."
Ice swallowed hard.
"That's kind of you, Lora… Send me the location and the time, and I'll meet you there."
"Yes. Thank you. See you tomorrow."
The silence grew heavy.
"See you tomorrow…"
The line went dead.
Ice remained still for a few seconds, her phone still pressed to her ear. Her reflection in the car window showed a woman exhausted, lost… but determined.
Tomorrow, everything could explode.
She took a deep breath, quickly wiped her tears, and hurried toward her friend's place.
She needed to talk.
Needed to unload this weight.
Needed to figure out how to face Lora's eyes… without falling apart.
Ice walked in without knocking.
Melissa, sitting on the couch with a TV series playing in the background, immediately looked up. She understood in a second that something important had happened.
"What's wrong?"
Ice dropped her bag and kicked off her shoes nervously.
"She called me."
Melissa's face froze.
"…She?"
"Lora. Teddy's wife."
A heavy silence fell over the room.